PEOPLE WITH ASPERGER SYNDROME UN OR UNDEREMPLOYED

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I notice most people with asperger syndrome are either unemployed doing part time or under employed even the people who are highly educated.

I think it is due to a lot of factors, age of diagnosis, support, local job market, education and family background.

The people with more severe asperger syndrome cannot handle change, their social skills may be low or their communication skills may not be adequate enough. I feel that some people are very good academically but do not know how to put into practice and how to apply their skills, and navigate their way in the job market but this may be due to family background as well as AS.

Some of us who don't work, including myself, are students.

Not sure what "plenty" means, but it's safe to say that employment is a common problem among aspies.

I think the causes are few and simple. We give the impression of being stupid, we don't inspire respect, and people don't like being around us.

A lot of us have trouble getting good jobs for the same reason we have trouble getting friends or girlfriends or boyfriends.

Really? I work with quite a few - and technology companies, particularly in MA, CA, and TX, are quite heavy in engineers who have AS. Words like "most" imply that the majority of aspies are having that problem and I just don't see that as being the case. Maybe a high % of aspies here have that problem, but again, that's where the web forum being a place of complaint rather than a place of affirmation rears its ugly head.

Those of us with the problem are the ones who have not found a career that suits them.

The IT bods are the lucky ones, because AS traits seem to be more "accepted" in that kind of environment.

In my case it is "not being able to apply" my skills that is part of the problem, and not being able to "sell" myself at an interview that is the other part.

(I am employed, but "stuck" in a job I am unsuited for, struggling through just doing enough to get by, with no possibility of advancement.)

Try going to a college that has a strong internship program. Get the job by having solid experience as an intern to open doors. Worked for me. Once in, work harder than the guy next to you. Performance is incredibly valuable.

cd1......


Contrary to stereotypes...not ALL aspies are engineers or tech geniuses with valuable skills that make companies over look their social ineptitude's because they can make the company money. Many people with AS, also have co-morbids that make certain jobs impractical. I am an example of this. I am of average intelligence and have dyscalculia, dyslexia, auditory processing disorder, some extreme sensory problems and social phobia.

I still work full time, but it limits the kind of employment I can do. I can't drive many places due to sensory processing disorder and that rules out many jobs I would like to do. I avoid jobs that require much socialization because people seem to have difficulty understanding my verbal communication and I have problems understanding theirs,(I don't think they use words precisely enough and get confused). I have sensory over-load when I am in chaotic environments(like a mall or busy shopping center. This is also a problem in jobs that would require me to talk on the phone as the external noises effect my hearing(APD).
I can communicate in writing fairly well but the dyslexia often interferes with my ability to "see" my own spelling mistakes(I love spell check) but that is not always an option. When I become over whelmed, I can become mute. I have problems with my memory, (something many aspie count as a strength). So I work and I struggle just like many NT's who hate their jobs as much as I usually hate mine. The difference is that they have social skills that are highly valued and they are paid better to suffer. The statistics about AS unemployment and employment that is less then their peers with the same experience and education is based on research and since AS is often only DXed in those who are most severely effected...it stands to reason that they do not represent ALL persons who may have Aspergers.(Most people don't go to the DR until they a desperate for relief from suffering.)


So if you don't like looking at the ugly head of complaint (because your life is peaches and cream) perhaps you can find another way to spend your time? My definition of "affirmation" is people being honest about their struggles so that I don't feel all alone in mine. I guess misery really does like company. Sometimes in making complaints I am seeking advise on how others have met the same challenges. Sometimes I am just looking to "vent" so that the worries don't keep cycling in my head. Sometimes it is just to hear a friendly voice telling me that they have been there and survived. I hear all those things here. Perhaps all you hear is "complaints' because you are looking for a way to feel superior to other people? That seems to be another reason that people come to WP...they are usually the ones pointing fingers and telling others that they should stop feeling sorry for themselves and just "get over it".

Calm down a bit. I'm not attacking anyone. I'm pointing out that while people in this thread keep implying that "most" aspies can't manage themselves in solid employment - that simply isn't true. I'm not saying some cannot. I'm not saying many cannot, but it's too broad a brush to say "most".

Seriously, think about what you're saying. I disagree with you so you're suggesting I leave? How is your place on the spectrum more important than mine? How is your opinion and commentary more valuable than mine? How is your experience more relevant than mine?

I'll help you out with those answers. All are "it is not". Everyone's input is valid, including mine, and there is no reason I should leave because you disagree with what I have to say.

How so? He mentions at least two other DXed conditions (APD and Dyslexia). That's a whole different cocktail than straight AS. I'm not saying those aren't valid problems - they are problems. The subject of this thread, though, is PEOPLE WITH ASPERGER SYNDROME UN OR UNDEREMPLOYED, not "people with AS + several other DXed conditions are underemployed".

Most, by definition means majority ie over 50%.

http://www.autastics.org/JVRpaper.htm

http://asa.confex.com/asa/2005/techprogram/S1502.HTM

As far as the reliability of these statistics...I haven't read the research methods. I did mention that the people who are being recorded in these statistics are probably more severely effected by AS traits that effect employment as those less effected may never seek a DX.

The APD and dyslexia are not part of the AS dx but they are considered common co-morbids and I imagine they weren't excluded when creating the statistics. As mentioned, without reading how they came up with the numbers, I can't be certain.
I have spent some time reading about issues of employment on this site and know many people who are employed and have tried to offer support in helping others looking for work based on what worked for them. So I think the generalization that this is a site for complainers is insulting and untrue.

I wasn't trying to suppress your personal experience or perspective, just offering a solution to what seemed like an obvious problem for you based on your own statement that this site was just a place to b***h and complain. It seems logical to me that the solution would be avoid the bitching by avoiding the site. Perhaps I misunderstood and you actually enjoy exposing yourself to what you perceive as just bitching and complaining. It doesnt sound like an environment that I would enjoy. I guess that is just a problem of my "lack of theory of mind", assuming that since I would avoid such an environment that all people would.

I think it is great that you and other who have AS have found emploment that lets you use your skills and pays you well for them. I don't think it is accurate to state that "most" aspies share this experience.

Well, yeah, that seems to describe AS very well.

It's also difficult in job interviews for the lot of us- it was for me, I totally sucked in my interview but I got hired anyway.

I was underemployed for 11 years working a series of bad paying jobs. In 1994 I started working a technical field again and from that job went to the Union hall when I got pissed at my boss. I took a stack of various school certificates and took a test that had electrical theory, motor controls and mechanical principals and got on book 3. 13 months later I took an upgrade test and was recognized as a Journeyman Inside Wireman. This job is excellent, I don't have to do another job interview ever. Before I left my job previous to the union I made sure that I told my boss to his face that he was a piece of s**t. Then I told the owner the same thing , along with a detailed list of grievances. When the company could not find anyone to take my place before losing $10 million in sales redirected aggression happened and my former boss was fired! Knowing a little basic Psychology and application can be handy.

Far as I know, I ain't got no alphabet soup conditions. I'm just a plain old aspie. I work as a general laborer around a farm.

Not much economic value in knowing how Chinese poetry changed between the Tang and the Sung Dynasties.